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Chapter 18: Meeting at the Coffee Bar

His mind went back to yesterday when he had told Daphne about the scout that called as well as about the team FC Porto and he recalled what happened after.

She had been very happy for him and had congratulated him and she had said she would be coming with him to meet the scout since it was a weekend.

"Why are you staring at me like that, let\'s get down," Daphne called out to him as he seemed to be lost in thought.

"Alright, alright," he answered with an eye roll and pushed open his door before getting out and going over to open the door for Daphne who seemed to be having a problem opening her door since, unlike her Mercedes, this one had a button that needed to be pressed rather than a handle that needed to be pulled.

He quickly opened the door from the outside before she could get any confused and pulled it open for her.

"You see, this is why I don\'t like BMW cars, why must everything be so overly complicated," she grumbled as he pulled her out of the car.

"All you had to do was read the manual, or look it up on YouTube," Jason shot back with a smirk that showed that he was enjoying this situation.

Daphne looked at him long and hard with a slightly annoyed expression on her face before replying,

"All that for a car I\'m not even going to drive?"

"... Good point," Jason couldn\'t find a comeback for her question and pushed the door closed.

"I wonder what a scout would look like?" he murmured as they began to walk towards the doors of the coffee bar.

"You didn\'t ask?" Daphne questioned as they walked through the doors, she pulled her shawl tighter around her body as the Los Angeles January weather was a little too cold for her liking.

"Why would I ask something like that?" Jason shot back as he pulled out his phone and dialed Rafael\'s number.

"Hello Mr. Hernandez, I just arrived at the meeting place and was wondering where you are," Jason fired off as soon as he felt the vibration that indicated that the call had been picked up.

"I\'m in the lounge beside the garden, I\'ll raise my hand up so you can see me," Rafael\'s voice came through the phone.

"He says he\'s at the lounge," Jason covered the mic and whispered to Daphne before responding to Rafael,

"Okay thanks," he said into the phone and then both he and Daphne headed for the lounge.

Before long they could see a fifty-something-looking man in a suit and overcoat seated at one of the tables in the lounge with his hand raised.

"I see you," Jason said and hung up as they walked to the table to meet him.

Rafael saw Jason who he recognized walking towards him with a woman he didn\'t recognize, and he stood up to shake hands and welcome them.

"I already introduced myself on the phone, but I\'m Rafael Hernandez, you can call me "Rafa," Rafael as he stretched his hand out to Jason for a handshake.

"Jason," Jason replied with his name and clasped Rafael\'s hand in a handshake.

"And the beautiful lady is?" Rafael asked, his eyes turning to Daphne who stood beside Jason.

"My aunt, Daphne Bolu," Jason introduced Daphne and she and Rafael shared a handshake before Rafael gestured for both Jason and Daphne to sit down.

\'It says in his files that he\'s an orphan that lives with a guardian, I guess she\'s the guardian,\' Rafael his eyes lingering on Daphne for a while as she sat down before his eyes swung back on Jason, the cause for this meeting.

"You can order something while we discuss, it\'s on me," Rafael stated first before bringing out his phone and wallet.

He then opened his wallet and brought two cards, one a business card with his contact details on it, while the second one was an employee ID that showed his face and name on it as well as the fact that he was a staff of FC Porto.

"Like I previously mentioned, I am a scout who works for the Portuguese team FC Porto, and these should be enough to prove my identity,"

"You can search my name online for any further verification," he made sure to first confirm his identity as it was a requirement when dealing with young players.

It was a way of easing the hearts of young players and helping to build trust, and he could see from the slightly easier expressions on Jason and Daphne\'s faces as they looked at the cards that could serve as an identification that his actions had the desired effect, but the only reason Jason\'s expression eased up a bit was because he realized that this person was experienced and should be easier to work with.

As for the matter of identity verification, he had already done it the previous day and confirmed that Rafael was indeed a scout of FC Porto.

"I don\'t know if you saw me the last two days, but I was at the trials and was impressed by the way you played, and after a meeting with the top brass, we would like to sign you to the FC Porto youth team and hopefully to the senior team in due time," Rafael continued, seeing that he had their attention.

"What this entails is that we will have you sign a youth contract first and you will be joining the youth team first and if you can prove yourself in the youth team that you have what it takes to play in the senior team, you\'ll have a chance of being promoted to the senior team sooner than you think," Rafael further explained but Jason interrupted,

"So, if I sign with FC Porto right now, I have a chance to join the senior team and play as long as I can prove myself to the senior team\'s manager, correct?" Jason asked with an eyebrow raised, but the excitement was visible in his eyes.

"Potentially, yes, as due to your age that wouldn\'t be breaking any FIFA regulations, so if you can perform at a level that is appealing enough to the senior team\'s manager, then yes, you can join the senior team as early as sometime this season," Rafael answered and then added,

"I have to say though, joining the senior does not automatically guarantee you playtime and if you want to be chosen in the team lineup, you will have to show that to the team\'s manager, but I trust you\'ll be able to do that."